PLAYER TO WATCH: G Tuukka Rask. With Thomas, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner, opting to take a year off, the Bruins will rely on former backup Rask as the primary goaltender. He won the job from Thomas in 2009-10, posting a 1.97 GAA. Anton Khudobin will be the backup.

OUTLOOK: The Bruins are essentially the same team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago - with the important exception of Thomas. The enigmatic Conn Smythe Trophy winner from the title run surprised the team by deciding to take a year off to rest. He will be placed on the suspended list.

OTTAWA:

LAST SEASON: 41-31-10, 92 points. Lost to New York Rangers 4-3 in first round

PLAYER TO WATCH: D Erik Karlsson's continued emergence as the NHL's top play-making defenseman. The 22-year-old Swede won his first Norris Trophy in only his second NHL season after leading all blue-liners with 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists).

OUTLOOK: A surprising run to the playoffs led to captain Daniel Alfredsson's decision to put off retirement for at least one more season. The Senators have the capacity to build on last year under the firm direction of MacLean, the longtime Red Wings' assistant, who had an impressive debut as a first-time head coach.

With their offense sputtering since the start of their road swing, the Boston Bruins will need some kind of spark as they take on one of the best home teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins, however, have seemed to find ways to win whenever they've played at Ottawa.

Boston looks to break into the win column on the four-game trip and pick up its 11th straight road victory against the surging Senators on Thursday night.

After finishing with one goal once in their first 26 games, the Bruins (19-6-3) have scored that many in each of the first two contests on the trip.

Tyler Seguin scored in a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday and Brad Marchand found the back of the net in a 3-1 defeat to Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Boston led 1-0 against the Jets before giving up three scores in the third period.

"All of the sudden, we started falling apart," coach Claude Julien said. "We started turning pucks over. We need to make strong plays and we need to be more composed."

The Bruins, who trail first-place Montreal by two points in the Northeast Division, have dropped four of five on the road since starting the season 8-1-1 away from home.

Boston will try to beat the Senators for the third time in 2013 following a 2-1 overtime win at home Feb. 28 and 3-2 shootout victory at Ottawa on March 11.

Robin Lehner, who has been given the starting nod for this game, has a 1.87 goals-against average in two starts versus the Bruins this season and a 1.94 GAA in four career matchups.

Despite only having a 2-0-4 record, Lehner has played well with a 1.90 GAA in six starts since No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson went down with an ankle injury.

The Senators (16-8-6) could be without defenseman Marc Methot after he sustained a leg injury during a 5-3 road win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Ottawa has already been missing Anderson and Erik Karlsson (Achilles) on the defensive end, but Mike Lundin (concussion) has been cleared and could step in for Methot if necessary.

"He's ready to play," coach Paul MacLean said. "He's practiced a lot and he's been skating quite a bit, so we wouldn't hesitate to put him in."

Sergei Gonchar has produced for the Senators since being pressed into big minutes due to Karlsson's injury. The 38-year-old defenseman has at least one assist in eight straight games, totaling one goal and 12 assists during that stretch.

Gonchar provided the go-ahead goal and two assists Tuesday, while Patrick Wiercioch added three assists as Ottawa moved to within three points of the Bruins in the division.

The Senators will now look for their fourth straight win as they open a season-high five-game homestand. They've won six of seven at Scotiabank Place on the way to a 10-1-3 record there.

Ottawa has 13 goals over the last three contests and hopes to maintain that pace against Boston goalie Tuukka Rask.

Rask, who is 14-4-3 with a 1.92 GAA, has won each of his four career starts against the Senators with a 1.21 GAA.

Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid is expected to be out for three to four weeks after sustaining a shoulder strain against the Jets.